Tagovailoa looks good in workout video

Quarterback shows progress as he prepares for NFL draft

Tua Tagovailoa may not be able to perform for NFL scouts and executives at a pro day workout or meet with them during predraft visits due to the coronavirus pandemic.

So, he’s taking matters into his own hands with the help of social media.

Tagovailoa, the Alabama standout whose healing hip could affect the future of the Miami Dolphins in next month’s NFL draft, posted several clips of him performing football drills on social media late Monday night — much to the excitement of quarantined football fans and NFL scouts.

“Practicing social distancing with the long ball today,” Tagovailoa wrote in his Instagram caption. “Feels good to spin it again. #Process”

He posted several videos on his Instagram account that show him throwing the

ball and working on his footwork.

Tagovailoa is seen stepping backward on seven-step drops, simulating short, twitchy moves in different directions around the pocket, and “ripping” 30-yard out-routes with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer leading the workouts.

Conveniently enough, the videos were posted exactly one month ahead of the April 23 draft.

And the clips show Tagovailoa may be closer to a full recovery than initially anticipated.

“I have a very simple job … fine-tune a Maserati,” Dilfer wrote on Twitter while re-posting the Tagovailoa video.

“This kid doesn’t need to change much, he only needs to build a foundation for a 15-year HOF career. Stop with the stupid narratives of ‘when’ he gets drafted. Whoever drafts him wins the draft! #RareHorespowerTwitchCombo”

Quite the praise for Tagovailoa and the team that drafts him.

Will it be the Dolphins?

Most NFL draft analysts have the Dolphins taking Tagovailoa at No. 5.

Tagovailoa became medically cleared to ramp up his workouts two weeks ago on March 9. He was depending on a pro day workout on April 9 to show his progress to NFL teams in person after suffering the serious hip injury on Nov. 16.

He plans to send an expanded video workout, longer than the clips he posted on Instagram, to NFL teams before the draft.

The Dolphins tried to meet with Tagovailoa regarding his health and potential fit on March 13 — shortly before the NFL restricted teams from hosting potential draftees — but logistics and concerns over the coronavirus prevented the potential meeting. It would have been their second meeting. They first met during the NFL combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 26.

LSU star quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to be the top pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, but Tagovailoa’s continued progress could force a team to draft him soon after.

Tagovailoa, widely projected as a topfive selection, may not last until the Dolphins’ fifth pick. The most likely trade partners for teams coveting Tagovailoa, like the Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers, are the Washington Redskins at No. 2 and Detroit Lions at No. 3.